José Alfonso is an esparto-grass craftsman who has plied the trade for over ten years. He is very actively involved in initiatives for the preservation of this antique art.

He works in the provinces of Valencia and Albacete, gathering raw esparto from the countryside in the… municipalities of Chinchilla and Pozolorente (Albacete province).

He masters various techniques with which he makes a wide variety of products, such as esparto wainscoting for insulating walls from heat or cold, blinds made with the pleita pleating technique, or curtains made of braided esparto. He also uses carded esparto for enhancing thermal insulation in cavity and stone walls, or as a binder, for mixing with plaster and mortar. He also makes ropes for use in construction as part of scaffolds, wattle, tied beams, matting, etc.

The tools he uses include a club and mallet for crushing esparto, stitching needles of many sizes, an almaraz awl with an eyelet, beeswax, stranded cord for stitching braided esparto, waxed cobbler’s yarn and scissors.

The traditional techniques used in esparto-work have changed little. There are new materials for stitching and different yarns, although according to José Alfonso they are less strong. The raw material, Stipa tenacissima esparto, is what gives quality.